Researching and Teaching Social Entrepreneurship

Who am I and what do I do?

I am an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Lerner Business School - University of Delaware. I have a background in Energy & Environmental Engineering (B.Eng & M.Eng), a MSc in International Management and a PhD in Management (@Nova School of Business and Economics).

I have worked as a social impact consultant and researcher for the Leadership for Impact Knowledge Center and launched Nova SBE’s “Leadership Observatory”. I teach Social Entrepreneurship and Eco-Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware and was previously a Teaching Assistant for the courses “Applied Social Entrepreneurship”, “Entrepreneurship with Impact”, “The Essence of Philanthropy”, and “Performance & Progress” at the Nova University of Lisbon.

My areas of research interest include: Institutional Logics, Hybrid Organizations, Hybrid Organizing in Nonprofits, and Organizational Tensions.

Teaching Experience

I started teaching in 2013 when I became a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. After that, I was interested in learning about the design of effective learning experiences in the field of sustainability management and social enterprise.

I have had the opportunity to teach in many different contexts, from a classroom of 120 graduate students of Management Science, to groups of 12 and 13 year-olds in the outskirts of the Sequoia National park.

I have also developed teaching content, including a number of in-class case studies, seminars, and workshops on the topics of Hybrid Organizations, the Future of Capitalism, and Leadership for Impact.

Mentoring and Supporting Social Entrepreneurs

I have devoted my time since 2018 to study and support the inception and growth of dozens of social enterprise projects, by teaching the classes of “Applied Social Entrepreneurship”, “The Essence of Philanthropy”, and “Entrepreneurship with Impact” courses from both the Masters in Management and Master’s in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal. I’ve continued this work within the Horn Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Delaware. Students in my classes have developed projects to address issues as diverse as the employment of people with disabilities, capture of plastics in the ocean, or helping to scale electric grid infrastructures in the developing world through the use of blockchain.

Supporting Nonprofit and For-profit Organizations

I have also worked as a social consultant for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations that seek to become financially sustainable and extend their social missions and impact. Examples of projects I consulted for include, the creation of a business plan for an Hospitality Institute for a University, the expansion of a school for kids with behavioral problems, and an extensive benchmarking analysis of philanthropic good-practices for one of the largest foundations in Europe.

Background

Research

(Working paper) The Organizational Politics of Legal Change: The Case of Hybrid Organizations in Portugal, 1990-2019.

Salgueiro, T., Mezias, S., Zózimo, R. and Alves-Martins, M. 2022.

Keywords: Hybrid Organizations; Legal Infrastructure; Organized Anarchy

Abstract: In this study we present, measure, and test a theoretical model of how the legal infrastructure for hybrid organizations evolved in the parliamentary system of Portugal over three decades. To develop this model, we begin with an organized anarchy representation, describing the policy process as the confluence of four distinct streams: choice situations, participants, problems, and solutions. We suggest a theoretical distinction between anarchic policy processes, along the lines of the garbage can, where the streams remain independent, and more structured policy processes, where agenda control creates more interdependence among the streams. We develop hypotheses that link the observed outcomes of legal deliberations, categorized as oversight, flight, or resolution, with a characterization of the policy process as more anarchic or more structured. Our findings suggest that the process is more structured than anarchic and show that mechanisms related to a mix of temporal, institutional, and political orders significantly affect legal outcomes. We close with a review of the findings and implications for organizational theories of politics, managers, and advocates of hybrid organizations.

(Working Paper) Navigation without drift: Do stakeholders penalize nonprofits that integrate market logics?

Salgueiro, T., Zózimo, R. and Cunha, MP. 2022.

Keywords: Hybrid Organizing, Institutional Logics, Nonprofits, Marketization, Stakeholder Evaluations

Abstract: The viability of many nonprofit organizations hangs in the balance. While prototypal nonprofits would typically rely on donative financing models, dwindling state support and the stagnation of donations and grants have pressured many to adopt commercial activities like the sale of products or services, engaging in hybrid organizing, and conflating both social and market logics. While these commercial activities often provide a crucial lifeline for nonprofits, these organizations are nonetheless judged over their ability to fulfill a social mission and should therefore take careful account of the potential effects of hybridity on the way stakeholders evaluate them. By looking at the largest database of nonprofit ratings in the United States (GreatNonprofits.org) and pairing this with mandatory financial records from the IRS, we studied the effects of hybrid organizing on these stakeholder evaluations and discuss their important implications for research and practice in the nonprofit domain.

(Working Paper) Social Leapfrog: The Role of a University Program on the Emergence of Market Logics in Organizations with a Social Purpose.

Salgueiro, T., Carvalho, I., Zózimo, R. 2023

Keywords: Hybrid Organizing, Nonprofits, Marketization, Learning, Entrepreneurship

Abstract: We follow 16 social organizations as they go through a rigorous capacitation program - The Social Leapfrog. This program facilitates and supports the emergence of market and hybrid logics in organizations with a central social purpose. The study makes use of data emerging from diagnosis reports, videos from events, data collected over the participation on the program, and interviews. It seeks to understand what changes occur when organizations participate in such capacitation programs and what factors make some organizations more successful than others.

(Working Paper) Role of Legislation on the Emergence of Stakeholder Capitalism.

Salgueiro, T., Mezias, S., Zózimo, R. and Alves-Martins, M. 2022.

Keywords: Stakeholder Capitalism; Legislation; Decision-making

Abstract: We explore how legislation that supports the emergence of stakeholder capitalism comes to be. The study is a theoretical exploration of the mechanisms that condition the emergence of certain legislative solutions in support of social hybrid organizations.

Salgueiro, T., Mezias, S., Zózimo, R. and Alves-Martins, M. 2022. Academy of Management Proceedings

Keywords: Hybrid Organizations; Legal Infrastructure; Organized Anarchy

In this study we present, measure, and test a theoretical model of how the legal infrastructure for hybrid organizations emerged from the parliamentary system of Portugal over three decades. To develop this model, we begin with an organized anarchy representation, describing the policy process as the confluence of four distinct streams: choice situations, participants, problems, and solutions. We suggest a theoretical distinction between anarchic policy processes, along the lines of the garbage can, where the streams remain relatively independent, and more structured policy processes, where institutional and political orders create more interdependence among the streams. We develop hypotheses that link the observed outcomes of legal deliberations, categorized as oversight, flight, or resolution, with a characterization of the policy process as more anarchic or more structured. Our findings suggest that the process is more structured than anarchic and show that mechanisms related to a dynamic mix of temporal, institutional, and political orders significantly affect legal outcomes. We close with a review of the findings and some implications for institutional theories of regulation and managers and advocates of hybrid organizations.

FAQs

What are your prefered theoretical frameworks?

  • Institutional Logics Theory

  • Hybrid Organizations

  • Garbage Can Model of Decision-Making

  • Organizational Tensions Lens

    • Paradox Theory

    • Dialectic Theory

What quantitative methods have you used in your research?

  • Methods

    • Survival Analysis (Competing Risks)

    • Moderation and Mediation Analysis

    • Panel Dataset Analysis

  • Tools

    • IBM Statistics

    • R/R Studio

What qualitative methods have you used in your research?

  • Methods

    • Case Study Development

    • Comparative Case Studies

Student Feedback

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S2/2021/22

    “I would first like to thank you all for a genuinely enjoyable class experience this semester. Applied Social Entrepreneurship was one of the most creative and challenging classes I have had at NOVA. I believe that our work is to move people, not mountains, and we achieved that this semester. It could not have been achieved without the inclusive environment you set up in the classroom.”

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S2/2021/22

    “I loved this class and the professors. I am extremely grateful to have been able to take this class, because my main reason I chose Nova instead of other universities, is the opportunity to take classes that are related to social impact. This is the perfect class for whoever wants to start a social startup or get a founder's perspective. My favorite part is that it was a very hands-on-class that I can see myself applying in my professional future.”

  • Performance and Progress - S1/2020/21

    “Super inspirational. Interesting course, extremely well-prepared, friendly, and helpful TA (Thanks Tomé!). “

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S2/2019/20

    “Amazing applied course, it's strongly recommended that all management student at least undertake a module of this. Impactful business, social initiatives, sustainability and making positive change happen in the world. The best course I had this semester!!! Hands-down, taxing but Life-changing!!!!!!!”

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S1/2020/21

    “Great course - I learned a lot and it pushed me out of my comfort zone! Very strong course, provided me with a host of experience and insight which I hope I can apply in my future career. The level of the course, engagement with students and in depth knowledge and insight from all involved is a testament to Miguel and Tomé.”

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S1/2021/22

    “Best course I've had so far. Perfectly balanced with theory, practice, real life examples, in-class debates, and activities”

  • Applied Social Entrepreneurship - S1/2021/22

    “This was by far my favorite subject, the teaching style was very good and also applied. I learned a lot.”